Book 1: Into the Fire
by Orangeflight of ShadowClan
Summary: What if Rusty never wondered what was outside of his kittypet life? What if Smudge went to the forest instead? Join Sandpaw in her epic quest to try to figure out the prophecy Spottedleaf received-while trying to forge her life as a warrior at the same time. Not continuing for a very long time!


**Book 1: Into the Fire**

**Summary: What if Rusty never wondered what was outside of his kittypet life? What if Smudge went to the forest instead? Join Sandpaw in her epic quest to try to figure out the prophecy Spottedleaf received-while trying to forge her life as a warrior at the same time.**

Prologue:

_A lone shape scurried past _his paw, and he licked his lips hungrily. The black-and-white tom got to his paws and made his way toward the shape, his belly rumbling with hunger. He pounced, his claws outstretched, but crashed into the solid floor.

He blinked open his amber eyes, and growled in frustration. _It was only a dream! _A mouse sounded good about right now, compared to the food he was already receiving from his owners. Smudge sighed, and scrambled to his paws. At least there was a forest nearby. Maybe he could actually get a mouse this time instead of it always being a dream.

Smudge turned and padded towards his food bowl. The tiles beneath him shined silver as the light above him brightened it. He lowered his head to the blue bowl and casually picked up a food pellet in his jaws. He chewed it thoughtfully, and promptly was prepared to spit it out. _Ew! _Food like mice _must _taste better than this.

Groaning slightly, he stood up and pushed past the door flap. The scent of morning dew filled Smudge's nostrils and he sighed in relief as the smell wreathed around him. It felt good to be out in the wild, away from his Twolegs. His amber eyes wandered towards the forest, and he felt a weird tingle in his fur. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he jumped onto the fence.

Maybe he could catch a mouse, and he could go home and gloat about his victory to Rusty, the cat next door. That tom was an absolute bore and had no interest in the wild at all. Rusty wasn't an exciting cat, but he was tolerable at best. Smudge leaped onto the fence and opened his jaws in a yawn.

"Hey Smudge! Where are you off to?"

Smudge looked around and saw a flash of fiery orange fur. A moment later, Rusty leaped up on to the fence beside him, his green eyes glowing in concern. "You're not going off to the _forest_, are you?"

"I'm just going for a look." The black-and-white tom felt a flash of annoyance as Rusty flicked his tail in an alarmed way. He's too busy being scared of the forest to act curious!

"Haven't you heard about the forest cats? They eat wild prey and sharpen their claws on old bones!" the bright orange tom exclaimed. "You can't go in there. I don't think you'll come back!"

Smudge puffed, "Everyone knows those are just tales. There probably aren't even wild cats!"

"Okay." Rusty looked back at his house with a worried look. "But don't say I didn't warn you." He leaped off of the golden brown fence and disappeared beneath the long grasses of his garden.

As Smudge padded towards the forest where birdsong floated through the air, he felt Rusty's words sink in. _What if he's right, and the wild cats will kill me and then sharpen their claws on my bones? _The black-and-white tom flinched at the thought, and tried to focus on his curiosity instead of the prowling cats of the forest.

Suddenly, a rustle came from the bushes beside Smudge. He flipped around, ready to attack, but it just turned out to be a squirrel foraging for nuts. It lifted its small black head and let out a squeak, dropping the smooth, round nut in its paws. It raced up a nearby tree, its paws scuttling on the bark.

Smudge watched in awe as the black squirrel disappeared into the overlapping green leaves. _I wish I could do that! _The black-and-white tom then shook his head and padded deeper into the forest, looking around for anything different.

The tom's head snapped up as a chirp was heard nearby. He spotted the black wings of a bird, and saw the red feathers gently laid across its underbelly. The bird was cleaning its wing with its small, yellow beak. Smudge dropped down into a crouch, aware of his collar making a small tinkling noise as he did. The bird didn't seem to notice.

He approached the prey, licking his lips as he thought about what a great meal the bird would make. After deciding he was close enough, Smudge was about to pounce when suddenly, another cat landed on top of him.

The bird squawked in surprise and with a flutter, it flew onto a high branch of the nearest tree. Smudge growled in annoyance and flashed his claws out, aiming for the cat's face.

He felt his claws meet flesh and a mew of surprise erupted from the opposing cat. They jumped off of him, and Smudge was able to get a good look at them.

It was a long-furred gray tom, with fluffy curls in his fur at the ends. His golden eyes were narrowed and he squared his shoulders as if about to pounce on him again.

Smudge lifted a paw and curled his claws, glaring at the gray cat.

The other cat didn't hesitate for a heartbeat; in a moment he was tussling with Smudge again, biting his ears and paws. The black-and-white kittypet tried to copy him, but it was just a bit too much for him.

After a while, the gray cat got Smudge pinned underneath him. The other tom's gold eyes glistened in the sunlight and his fur glowed an amazing silver. "Do you give up yet?" he growled.

Smudge didn't know what to do. His opponent was tough, that's for sure-but he wasn't sure he wanted to give up and go home without exploring the forest.

So instead of giving up, he smirked and bared his teeth. "I'm ready for you this time."

**Did you like it? I might not continue this since I won't get any motivation for this at all, but some positive feedback would be appreciated! If I do actually continue this, it won't be until after Lucky and When Midnight Strikes are finished. **


End file.
